Process of producing ammonia from peat.



ururun srara raranr HERMAN GEARLE$ WOL'lEBEGK, OF LONDON, ENGLAND,ASSIGN'JB TU PERCY MASON,

OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

PROGESS 0.? PRODUCING AMMONIA FROM PEAT.

ceases. Ne Drawing.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN CHARLES WoL'rnrncK, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, residing at London, England, have -my nominees, GilbertWard Ireland and Herbert Stanley Sugden in 1903 a process is describedfor the production of ammonia by the moist combustion of peat Within acarefully regulated'range of temperature, by means of a variable mixtureof air and steam. (British Patent 16,504-190i.) In German Patent No.220670, granted to my nominees, John Gregory Jones and Pedro Suarez, in1909, a process is described in which the live steam employed in theprocess described in the older patent referred to, is nearly oraltogether dispensed With, by causing part of the exhaust gases, afterthe removal of ammonia and other desirable byproducts therefrom, toenter the 'furnace or generator together with the air introduced,

for the purposes of the process, below the zone of reaction. (BritishPatent 27,905 1908.)

According to the process the object of my present application, theprocess, 'described in the later patent, is employed with. the furthermodification that the temperature of reaction instead of beingcontrolled so as not to exceed 500 (1, is allowed to rise to 600 43., oreven to 800 6., Without thereby decreasing the id of ammonia. 1 obtainthis by mixing with the air introduced into the furnaces or generators,in which the peat is consumed, a sufiicicntly larg'c quantity of theexhaust gases to considerably reduce percentage of oxygen containedtherein, and thereby, as Well as by the presence of the large percentageof carbonic acid (li -18%) containeddn the exhaust gases, exert apowerful check on the progress of the combustion taking place. Theamount of steam present in the return gases varies greatly during theoperation, according to the moisture of the peat em- Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed December 27, 1910. Serial No. 599,412.

terincg Patented irrayso, rear,

ployed, the temperature of the outer air and the time of the last chargeof one of the furnaces.

On starting the process the tem erature in the furnaces is allowed torise to about 600 C. The admixture of exhaust gases with the air is thenmaintained by suitable regulating devices in such a manner that thecomposition of the mixture, as admitted under the grate of the furnacesdoes hot vary beyond: oxygen 8 to 12%, carbonic acid 5 to 14% and carbonmonoxid l to 2%, calculated on dry gases. With such a mixture thetemperature of combustion will hold itself in check and remain Withinthe range of 600 C. to 800 G, and no combustible gases will be producedas would otherwise be expected. The exhaust gases produced by thischecked combustion are not combustible, as they contain only about 2.5to 3% carbon monoxid, 17 to 18%of carbonic acid, below 1% of oxygen andvarying by small quantities of hydrogen or hydrocarbons, derived fromthe destructive distillation of part of the peat in the upper part ofthe furnaces. The and exhaust gases must be thoroughly mixed before enthe furnaces, and should be protecte heat to prevent an unduecondensation of water from the large quantities of steam containedtherein. (lnce the process is fully Working the process continuesWithout furtheir attention beyond supplying the peat in the requiredquantity, the periodical removal of ashes.

The main object of the present improve ment is one of economy, since theemploy-- ment of a higher range of temperature en ables a largerquantity of peat to b earned in a given time, besides malr possible touse peat with 00% of w. cut from the bog, though it is more e cal to employ peat with a lower perce say, to owing to the otherv icessivequantities Water to be trans red.

I do not broadly claim the production of ammonia i'rom peat by means ofthe moist combustion oi the same in a mixture of air and exhaust gases,but

What I claim is:

In the process for the production of ammonia by passing a mixture of airand steam as much as possible against loss of over heated peat underadmixture of a part ture of reaction between 600 C. and 800? of theexhaust gases, deprived of ammonia (l, for the purpose as shown anddescribed. 10 and other required by-products, the reduc- In testimonywhereof I atfix my signw tion of the percentage of oxygen in thegaseture in presence of two Witnesses.

011s and steammixture by means of the ad- HERMAN CHARLES WOLTEREGK.mixture of such exhaust gases in quantity Witnesses:

suflicient to prevent the formation of com- GEORGEBARNES MARION,

bustible gases and to maintain the tempera- LOUIS ALBERT GARNER-

